The United Kingdom is playing catch-up with many of its European neighbors when it comes to solar but recent signs have been hugely promising and the nation remains primed for a solar revolution.

In its first monthly column for pv magazine, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) explains how a team of its experts is currently working on the definition of new standards for VIPV systems.

Tariffs on solar glass harm the European solar industry. This problem can now be easily solved without jeopardizing the European solar glass production.

In another article of a series, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Claire Gardner, Marketing Manager Europe at Chinese inverter manufacturer Solis. She tells how she had to deal with her own insecurities rather than with a women-hostile environment at the beginning of her career in the renewable energy industry.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that warm sea surface temperatures and disturbances increased onshore moisture along China’s southern coast, which in turn increased solar irradiance by 5-15% on long term averages.

Average retail prices fell to €6.24 ($6.70)/kWh on the German electricity spot market in April, largely due to renewables covering about 70% of the network load.

The state-owned Central Electricity Board of Mauritius has opened a tender for consultancy services covering a 15 MW solar farm. The deadline for applications is 22 May.

Turkish developer YEO and Zambian sustainable energy company are constructing a 60 MW solar plant with a 20 MWh battery energy storage system in southern Zambia.

A study by researchers from the University of Michigan found that, by the mid-century, rooftop solar value will increase by between 5% and 15% across a wide range of US cities under moderate climate change, and by up to 20% by the end of the century.

Agrivoltaics for fir trees

Microsoft has signed on for 10.5 GW of renewable energy with Brookfield Renewable Partners. The projects might cost more than $11.5 billion to build, according to BloombergNEF.

The authorities in the Philippines say the nation is on target to add 1.98 GW of solar this year, alongside 590 MW of battery storage, as part of more than 4 GW of renewable energy projects.

Australian battery company Li-S Energy claims to have taken a significant step toward proving the safety of its semi-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries, with the third-generation technology successfully passing a series of nail penetration tests.

SJVN is now accepting bids to develop 1.2 GW of solar projects, connected to India’s interstate transmission system, anywhere in the country. Bidding closes on June 17.

The UK-based manufacturer said the new Ecomod 290HT products have a size ranging from 15 kW to 50 kW and a coefficent of performance of up to 4.9. The systems can reportedly achieve a flow temperature of 75 C.

UK Power Networks’ (UKPN) distribution system operator (DSO) is expediting grid connections for 25 UK projects, totaling 836 MW.

A German team developed models to illustrate water-saving potential in PERC silicon solar cell manufacturing based on a circular approach and commercially available technology. In the case of a 5 GW fab, water savings of up to 79% and wastewater discharge reductions up to 84% could be achieved, a “significant” improvement compared to a reference scenario.

German research institute Fraunhofer ISE has unveiled a new metallization process for heterojunction solar cells that reportedly increases power conversion efficiencies by over 0.1% while reducing silver consumption. A device built with the new technique achieved an efficiency of 23.2%.

Conceived by scientists in China, the device consists of a Fresnel lens, a PV cell, and liquid ionic thermocells (iTECs) with electrolyte flow. In can reportedly outperform CPV systems built with thermoelectric generators, both in terms of costs and efficiency.

Indian manufacturer Statcon Energiaa has introduced a single-phase grid-tie solar inverter intended for application in residential and small commercial buildings.

Chinese manufacturer Huasun says it has achieved an efficiency of more than 26% for both G12R and G12 heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.

An international research team has developed a new type of perovskite solar cell by using 4-phenyl thiosemicarbazide (4PTSC) as a precursor additive. The device showed an improved open-circuit voltage and “exceptional” long-term stability.

Taiwanese manufacturer Winaico says its new 430 W glass-glass tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules have a power conversion efficiency of 22.02%.

Scientists led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a new PV-powered desalination system based on the time-variant electrodialysis reversal (EDR) technology. The proposed system reportedly achieves lower levelized cost of water than conventional solar-powered desalination techs.

A team from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has reduced silver consumption in the fabrication of PERC solar cells by screen-printing ultra-fine metallization lines measuring just 14 μm. The resulting solar cell offered remarkable efficiency levels, which were confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.

The 3.33 kW / 6.65 kWh lithium-ferro-phosphate battery offers home backup and storage of rooftop solar generation.

Researchers in Spain has found that combining PV power generation with fuel cells and battery storage may help homes considerably reduce their levelized cost of energy. Their simulation reportedly demonstrated homes may also become completely self-sufficient.

California is adding massive amounts of battery energy storage and the project pipeline shows no sign of slowing down. Batteries are playing an increasingly dominant role on the grid, soaking up solar in the middle of the day and shifting it to the evening peak, where they have become the biggest single supplier.

Norwegian Ship Design Co. has agreed to help build what it claims will be the two largest hydrogen ships in the world, while Norwegian Hydrogen has announced plans to team up with Australia’s Provaris Energy on hydrogen export opportunities.

Alberto Boretti was a senior research professor at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in 2021 when he first started discussing the idea of a hydrogen city in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The New Zealand-based independent tells pv magazine that it is now commercially feasible, as the city’s 200 MW of energy demand would necessitate 1 GW to 1.3 GW of solar and wind capacity, 509 MW to 997 MW of electrolysis capacity, and 145,000 MWh of hydrogen storage capacity.